Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk: Sameness and Difference

In Nicolai Leskov

AHSTRACT

.4 ikel.i/iIe h<fOr.e1~eskoi.p11l~li.v17etl "L(IL<I. .\f~~c~hc~/h ~f'i\l/.ceri.sk".Tol.~/oj. tie.scrihet1Machctli ( 1 5

L I L ~ I . L I I ~ I ~(1ho11/
I L I .\pee1(1~.111irr. bu/ I I / / ~ I ~ I ( I111111iUrLlrie
/ L > ( I . c~.irnirre~l. L(//er. iii l7i.s Essay o11
Sl~akespeare.he con~~~l~lir7c~ll1I1t11 .vl~clipl(!i'.s ii~e~~epi.vorro~~.s ilo/ onlj, hectrll.se~ f ' i i ~ l i/he!. u / il.vkc,ti
l~ecltlel..c/o c1t11iii1.c. hi//,fi,/I I . / I L I I / l i q , pr~ei~eri~ed /he111,fi.o/ni/iscoi.er,irig. 111 1/11, cirsc c?f'R4acbetli.
I . ~ L I L /i ~~ I~. ,eYr ~ c ~ ~ > ~ ~ it~i/rie.~.sirig
~ ~ i ~ c ~ ~( 1~geril~inlf~.
/ e ~ < / i ~"irielc~~er~der~/
o~li (117~l,/;.ec> irillii-ii/~/~~l ii~ho,ii>i//i
L I poi~~er;fi~I .~~1i1~i/.../c0111~1] ,u/r~~~gglc~ iigirirr.s/ L / / / C O I ~ ~ , ~ I ~ /ir7~ O...I ~r~io~.t/Ii/!.
. Y ''. Z'lw Essay o11

Shahttspeare ic~~l.vpllhli.uhed ir7 1906. h11l /he itleas i/ ~ O I I I U ~ I ~Irt~il. C L I Io~igh<fi~i.e / / w / .hecolnc L I
po/~l11(11. .slihjec/ ~f'~li.sc~ir.s.~ioi7 ir7 Ri/.usic//lliio~ar:)cir.cle.u. 12:ic.oli/iLc.skoi: L I ~ ( I I . / ~ C i17 @IU~ OI .IS/C

c~ir.c31e.~. ~ I Y I LSI I ~L I L ~ I (?/'To/,Y/o!.

~ ~ I . ~ I '.Y. i-iei1.s0 1 7 ar,i trrid.vocieg: clrrtl i/r " L ~ ~ h . ~ \ k c h0/',\11.\eri.uk e/h "

he seeriied /o cr.eci/e 11 s/or:i./hn/ r.<flec/edI i d . ~ / o'.Y~itlec/.s. . Zhe her.oi/i (?f'hi.sii,or.k. K ~ I / C > I .;.Y ~IICI.
~ o I ~ ~ ~ (L~~~!~,.\klche/h.
I I . c ~ ~ ~ /hll/ o .she ;.Y ~rl.\ou c~r.irnirrn1i.e/..sior~ of'Tol.u/c!i.'.Y "irrc;kpentlen/erriclfi~ee
i r i ~ l i i ~ i ~ hii.hu.
" ~ i ~ /hr.ollgh
l h c ~ r ~ p i ~ . ~ . sCiOoIrI ~~ I~I ~~ ~/ e/ I I 1I 0C Ioi~e,
~ I I I ".v/r~zlggle.s iigc~iii.s/ al1 corii~erriior~.u
iri... ri?o~.~/li/j. ", Hoii.ei-er../he ohjc~c-/ (?/'he/.1oi.e. Ser.gei Fi/ipoi,ich. ;.Y . ~ i / ~ r p /I j~. (~ /I I I ~ L c~ ~L rI ~I ~i ~~ n i n ~ ~ l ,
irriil /hr.ollg/i hi.s pr.esericc K(~~er~iric~ '.Y Ijfi~ i.v ~luur.kericd./lrcli ilc~.~~r~oyec/. Lc>.skoi.'.Y .SIOI;~. (?f'//~c>
i.cl~11ior7.vhip he/ii.coiKLI/L>I,~IILI t111~1Ser.gei /hewfi~r.e.uce/li.s/o /.</lec//he " q > i ~ l c ~"~( ~? if i' ci r~~ f l ~ i e ~ ~ ~ ~ e
O/' ic./iic/7 ToI.s/oj. i ~ . l i ~ . ~ ~(KEYWOKDS: ei/. Shakespeart.. Leskov. Tolstoy. Lady Macbetl-i.
intlueilce).
ItESI! MEN

1 7t1 t1c;c~otltrot11c.v tlc t l l ~ rI.c,.~koi~ ) i ~ h l i e . ( ~"Lt1i11

i.(/ . \ I t ~ e I ~ ~c l/ ~l i',\l/.\cl17,~kc". i i ) l , ~ / oile.ccr.ihic
i
Macbeth corrio lrri ilr.trr71tr .vohr.e 1/11 t l e l i r i c ~ ~ i c.\;l,cr/r~e~irltrr
c~~~~c ~ 111in1irirl.v/t117cit1
t r i ~ r i t l i r coi i*11I~irr..
-1lt.v trtlc~ltrr71c.e17 .\11 tiisa!.o sobre Shakcspeare. .vcli/(j i/i/cJ1tr1c.vohr.rr.i er.trri i9erierio.c.tr.\1 1 0 .\.tilo
/>O/'/O i/l/C i / / 7 ~ / / 1 t 1 / 7 ~ /L//1/ /OC'/O/'iI i / 1 / C J i / i / / 7 1 ~ / ' t / / ' i ,\;//O
/. /)O/' 10 i/l/Ct /e' ~ / / 1 / > ~ i /i/lIC
~ t / /~7/ ~ ~ ~ ~ 1 / / 7 / f'; /~7 ~ / ' t / .

el c.tr.so ilc Macbetli. ir lo.\ Icc./or~c.\c.c. le.\ irl7/7etlir qt/cJ~~r.c~.cc~riciirr~trri

1/11 "1117 .ver. 1ihr.c L.

~ l l l / c ~ / l c ~ / l t l ; c///e>,
~ l l / ec ~ o / 7 / ~ o ~ l c ~e.Y/7;/~i/l/,fi/e.\c
l~o.vo c~c1/71/:tIc1 ll/cllc/l~c o / l / / ~/tOl l / l / \ 1tr.v c0171~c~11ci011e.~
". El cnsa'o sobre SIiasAespeare,fi/c~~~~h/i~~~~Io
rilo1~ir1e.v eri 1900. /~e>/.o
1tr.v i i l e i ~ (/ircl
\ c'ot11e11itr.\.e
hirhtrli corri~er/iilo.rrrircho /icrll/)o tr/~.t.\.cl7 1oi1o de itkhr//e c ~ ~ //o,\
~ . c.r.c1110\
e li/c>r.t~r,io.\
1.11.vo.v.
.\,-ic.oItri Lc.\koi.. qirc ~ ~ ~ ~ r ~ ~ i rri
c i l cJ.\tov
~ i r h ci rr . c ~ ~ ~ le1.o
o . ~ ~1~1117ir~triIor
. tle lo.! i r r ~ ~ c ~ del
~ ~ ltol./cl
oc J.

. \ o ~ ~ i c i ltle
i ~ iTol.vtoi.
l e11 " L o i f i . ,\lirc~l~c~/h
tic dl/,vei7.~kcl.eo i117r1 17i.~/orii/
c / i ~ e / ~ o r e cr.gflcjor
" .c lov
ii/c1t1.v1Ic~ToI.v/oi.Lcr 17ero17ui/c~c1.v/c2Iil7ro. K ~ r ~ t v ~ i r.\e1
z ec~o171l7i11.ir
, t.017 Ltrtfi, ;\lirc~hc~111,
l7ero r ~ e . ~ r r / / i ~
/ir117hic;111r17oi,er.viti17 c.r.irrii17ul iiel ".\el. 1ih1.c c i17ilel1e17tlic~17/e
" ife Tol.v/oi. ~ ~ I ~ L( 1> /I~I . i r ~ ~
~; i. vcY / ~
/

~r/~i1,vio17irtIo
c~o11il71~or~~i.\o
tic>i ~ ~ i i o"111c~17t1
r. c,o17//~1
1ot1tr.v/(I.\ ~ ~ o ~ ~ I ~ ~ I1~101.cr1e.v L ~oh.v/i~rl/c~,
I ~ ~ ~ o ".~ I:\'o , Y

L ~ol?;e/o
I iic~.SI/tr~iior.,,Ser.goi F;lij~orric17,IIO e.\ 111ti.5 qrre lrt7 ~ I ~ ~ I ~ Ii,11lgir1.,
~ ~ ~ J.I 11
I ~/r.t/i~i.v
~ I I ile
/ ~.SI/
~ ~ I . P . \ C I/~i r Ci '~i i(i It ~tle f i ~ ~ v ' i r.vc
i o1.c O.YL.III.L,L.~UII i / ~ > . ~ / r ~ o LLI
j.,fit7~111rie17/c> ~ t r /71.\/01.itr
i I t ~ . tle Le,vkoi*
.voI~r,c,1t1 reItrci(j17 ~~17t1.e
Ki//er.i~itrJ. ASc,~,g~~ei 1701. /trti/o I ~ "el~itic~117ic1
17irr,ecc, 1.c;f1c/t11. I ' ' tic, 111

i ~ ? f l l ~ c ~ ttle ~ r /lo.v p/.ei,e17io 7i)l.\/oi. (PAI.ARRAS C'I.AVE: Shakespeare. 1-eskov. Tolstoi.

i c i 111
Lady Macbeth. iiitlueiicia).

Eveii Ibr a poct ofgeiiiiis. Sliakespcare played a surprisingI!- imporiaiit role in iiiiicteeiith ceiitiii~
Eiirope. Across the contiiieiit artists aiid thiiihei-s iiisisted oii tlic uiiiqiie cliaracter of his thought:
Hcrdei- i i i (;criiiaiiy. Victor Ilugo iii Frarice. Coleridgc i i i F:nglaiid al1 suggcsted tliat
Sliakespeares's worh ofl'rrcd a thorougIil> European \:ision tliat could sen-e as a literan guide
1br tlic reiieual ot'the contiiieiit's culture: aiid tlie will to renew culture was e\-erywliere stroiig.
stroiip i11 (iermaiiy. as Nietzsclic observed. and stroiiger yet in Eiigland. Rut Nietzsche wriit oii
to add tliat it was

stroiigest aiid most amaziiig by fai i i i tliat eiioilnous eiiipire...uhere Europe. as

it were. tlou-s back iiito Asia. i11 Russia. Tlicre the sireiigtli to m-ill has loiig been
accuinulated aiid stored up. tliere tlie \vil1 - iiiicertaiii wliether as a will to negate
or a uill to al'tinii is waiting ineiiacingl!. (Nietzsche 6. 708).
-

The iincertaiiit! of Russiail respoiises to tlic foriiis of cultural reiie\+-ali-eshapiiiy \\ester11 Europe
iiie\,itabl!- extended to tlie coiltiiieiit's iien-l! elected poet-guide. Sliahespeare. Kussiaiis askcd
tlieiiisel\~es iii Nietzsclie's tei-111s - u-lietlier S1iakespeare.s dramas sliould be aftiriiied or
-
 negated. and that c1uestioi-i. put reperitedly. n a d e Shakcspeare's presence ii-i the work of R~issiaii
authors vciy distii-ictivc. 111 AIIIILI A-III.L,I~~II(I.
ii-istai-ice.Leo Tolstoy cei-isured the art of Kirig
Lcar througli Levii-i's lei-igthy coinincniai? n an operatic reconstructioi-i ofthe alcl kiiig's inad
seenes: ii-i the '-klninlct of SI-ichigrci\~sk!.District". oile of'the inost celebratcd Ske/cl~e.s fi.0111L I
H I I I I I C' Y I.411~1111.
. 1'11rgci1c\~criticized the rnii-id of Shakespeare's inost celebratcd hero: and iii
"Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk". Nicolai l.eskov repro\red Shakespeare's notorious l-icroii-ic.thoiigh
in a speciically Russirin Iishion. Iii thesc. ai-id in other norks like tl-ieiri.the directioi-i ofRussiaii
evril~iritioi~s shiied. b~ittlic ii-iterest rarelq esiended t ai-iytl-iii-igas i-iai~o\vas simple iinitation
of Shakespeare's plots. (ir characters. or inoral tlieines. 111 tact. Russiai-i autl-ioi-sseemed ansious
to turii thc Ei-iglisl-idrainatisi's irrigedies ii-ito arenas of debate ii-i wl-iich they coiild dctii-ie tl-ie
distii-icti\.e character oftheir own uork. Respoi-iding to Shakespeare in ihis i\ay still. ot'course.
ii-idicated a stroi-ip Shakespeareaii iniluei-icc because. as 1-larold Bloom has poii-ited o~it.such
debates record a searcli for sii-ipularity or ii-idepei-idei-icetiom a pouerliilly felt prcseiice (Blooiu
5-1 6): but the practice ineai-it that Sl-iakcspcare's influence iii nineteei-itl-icei-itiii-yRussia \\vuld
be i-i-ieasured iiiost satisfactori1~-by assessing the differei-ices \vhich autl-iors souglit to creatc
bet\~~cei-i tlieir owii works ai-id those ofthe great Ei-iglisl-idrainatist. Ccrtainly it was a sense ol'
ditterei-ice tl-iat Turgeilc\. dc\leloped in Iiis essaq- o11 H([llde/ ( I I I L ~< ) ~ I ~ . Y o I ~aild
. that Tolsto!,
~inderlii-ied i-i-iucl-iinore einpliaticall!- - in -'Shakespeare and tlic Drama". 'lliose cssays iuake
-

clrar that cultivatii-ig dit'terei-ices was a way of fcicusii-ig Kussiai-i work in order to presei-it ideas
about that coui-itiy's life. and about tl-ie literature its a~itl-iorstl-iouglit that life could or should
produce. Hut \\hctl-ier tl-iis u a s the case witl-i Lesko\j is more difficuli to kno\v sincc. ui-ilikc
.l'urga-icv and -folsioy. he lefi 110essa!; o11 the subicct tci tirinly ii-idicatr thc directioi-i ofhis ideas.
Al1 \re ha\-e is a lictioi-i that oftkrs riddliiig allusioi-is to itkichc~l~.
We do. o11 tl-ie othcr hand. ki-iow soinetl-iii-ig about tl-ie wa!- I.esko\.'s fainous
coi-itci-i-iporar)-responded to Shakespease's play. A decade before tlic publicatioii oi' "Lady
Macbeth of Mtsensk". Tolsto!; reponed to Iiis wifc that I-ie had jusi tiiiished reading itI(lc*he/h
"wit1-i great carc". It M ~ She. said. "a t'arcical play by a clever actos with a good ineinoi?.. m110
rcad a lot of cle\.er books ai-i iinpro\red Robber Ciirkin" (Tolstoy. Lc//el.s366). l'l-ic rct'crence
-

Mas to N.I. Pastucl-iov's iecently publisl-ied novel about a spectacular hui ultiinately muiidane
criininal. What T o l s t o ~ii-iieilded
~ by the coinparisciii is inore fully developed i i i Iiis latcr cssay o11
-'Shakespeare ai-id tl-ie 1)rain;i" i i i \vl-iicl-i I-ie argued that Shakespeare's tragedies were
characterized by a i-iuinber ofanomalous cthical assumptioi-is drawi-i from thr author's readii-igs
ainoi-ip thc "clever books" of sceptical philosophers. For Shakespeare. Tolstoq- said.

inoralit!-. like politics. was a inatter in \vliicli. owing io tl-ie coiiiplcsiiq al'
ciscuinstanccs ai-id niotives. oiie cannot cstablisli any prii-iciplcs: aiid in tliis he
agrees \vi111 Bacoii aiid Aristotle - therc are no positi\.e religious and inoral laws.
(Tolsio! . ,W(~kc.c./?crii.~~
87)

( . i i o1 ~i/o/(>gioItiglec~i.\l.7.2. 2001. pp. 0 3 - I OF

' ~ i ~ i r l c ~ i</L.
1-liat assuniption ~vouldseein to proinise a radical approach to qiiestions oi'moral conduct.
espcciall!- whcn a second Sliakespeareaii piinciplc is addcd to it. This secoiid priiiciple is that
"activity is good. and inactivity is evil". \vliich is to say that "Sliakespeare prelkrs tlie principie
of Alesander 101' Macedonia] to tliat of Diogenes". or "deatli and iii~ii.derto abstiiiciice and
Wisdoiii" ( 85). Por Tolsto!. thesc were ilic real preinises iindcrl~~iiigblacbeth's so-callcd Iieroic
stature. But to understand why such lieroisiii was trapic. onc liad to kiio~rthat Sliakcspeare
thought it

stupid and liai-inful tor tlie individual to revolt agaiiist. or eiideavour to

o\-ertliro~v.the limits ofestablished religious aiid siate torms. Sliakespeare ...
\\ould abhor an independent aiid fiee individual who. with a powerftil spirit.
should stiuggle agaiiist al1 convciition in politics and iiioialit!-. (88)

Accordiiig to Tolstoy. this created aii aiioinaly central to Sliakespeare. wlio evidently believed
that

tlie practica1 nicdoin of inen coiild iiot Iiave a higher ob.ject thaii the iiitroductioii
into societ! o' the greatest spontaneit) aiid freedoin: but becauae of this oiie
should safeguard a\ sacred and irrefragable tlic iiatural la\\s ot'societc - one
should respect tlie existing order of tliiiigs. (88-89)

Tragcdy thereforc betkll an hcroic Macbcth Ior tlie siiiiple reasoii that lic did not respect the
sacred iiattirc of the existing order. which is LO say. tlie privileges oSpropert!-. kiiisliip. rank. riiid
positioii. -1'Iiat M-asu h y Iiis societ~rinade hiin a criiniiial: but. Tolsto!. added. Macbeth was a
mundaiie criiiiinal siilce liis whole purpose was to participate in those ordinary tliings tliat
tiltiinately uiidid hiin. Tolstoy. of course. knew tliat tlic piay. like Shal\espeare's othcr works.
was everq.wliere liighly regarded. and on spccifically moral grounds: but iii liis eyes.
Sliakespeare's prestige as a inoralist \\as dangerously periiicious: i t represented. Iie said. an
"epideiiiic" intluence wliicli poisoned readers' imaginations. iiot simpll- for uhat it asked tliein
to admire. but for what it preveiited tliein Gom discovering. iiaiiiel~~. diffcrent litera?. images.
and specificallj, Russiaii iinages of pouerful aiid truly independent spiriis (97-104).
The essay on "Shakespearc and tlie Drania" was noi publislied uniil 1906. hut. as
rolstog 'S letter to Iiis w i k suggests. his criticisms of Sliakespeare's dramas \vere de\,elopcd
earlier iii his career. The essal, itself recalls tliat those early vie\vs were a popular topic of
discussioil in Russian Iiterary circles (95). a circuinstaiice to u-liich Turgeiie\-seeins to allude iii
an 1857 letter io Tolstoy (Turgenel-L c / / e i : \ 1 : 13 1 ). l.esko\-'S litcrary career begaii iii 1860. and
as a iiicmber ol' Russiaii l iterar? circles he ina!. have becn mvare of Tol sto!'s earl! \ k v s .
C'crtaiiily he was - b!- liis 01%-naccoiini an earl!. aiid enthusias~icadiiiiicis of Tolstvy (Laiitz
-

34). thougli \vIietlier or to ~vhatesteiit I'olsto!-'S ideas about Sliakespeare 11ia)-ha\-e iiitluciiced

v i t . 7.2. 2001. pp. 03- I O5

</e/.ilologic~I ~ r g I ~ ~vol.
~'o(r</~>~.iio.\
hiiii reiiiaii-isuiicertain. l.eskov i i e ~ cciiiiiiented
r directly on the niatter. noi. did he spell out his
\vil ideas about Shakespeare. 'l'liere are. iievertlieless. iiiteresiing parallels bet\\eeii 'l'olstoy's
criticisiiis of Shakespcarc aiid Leskoi 'S extended use of Sliakespeare's draina in "Lad! Macbetli
of Mtsensk".
Iii 1,eskov's story. the lieroin f.\lcrc.he/h is prcsciited tliiough tlie figure of Kateriiia
Lvoviia Iziiiailo\~a."a inercliaiit's wife who once eiiacted a draina so a\vesnme tliat tlic iiicinbers
of our local geiitry. takiiig tlieir lead fioiii soiiieoiie's liglit-hearted remark. took to calliiig hei
'Lady Macbetli of Mtseiisk'.' (1.eskov 1 1 1 ). Tliougli tlic iiarrator does iiot sal7so. tlie allusion
niay l i a ~ eseeiiied appropriaie because Sliakespcare's Lady Macbetli. persuadiiig lier hesitating
liusbaiid to coiiiiiiit a iii~irderhe liad earlier proniised to pcrforin. espressed a ~~illii-igness to
slaugliter Iiei invii cliildreii:

1 liave giveii suck. aiid knou

Iiow tender 'tis to love tlie babe that iiiilks ine:
1 wo~ild.while it was siiiiling iii 111). face.
Have plucL'd ni!- nipple froiii his boiieless guiiis.
Aiid dash'd tlie braiiis o~it.liad 1 so sworii
As you liave doiie to tliis.
(1.7.54-59)

Iii Mtsensk. the rural sopliisticates iiiight also liave recalled tliat i t u-as Lady Macbeth's cruel
plcdge that fiiially drove Macbeili 10 iii~irdertlic aged Duiicaii. a ciiine that would. in turn. lead
t the iiiurder of a real cl-iild. Macduffs son (4.7). Certaiiily it was iii tlie saiiie way that
Kateriiia's first criine. thc straiigliiig of Iier old l'atlier-iii-law. Icd to tlie inurder of Katerii-ia's
!7uiig iiephew-. Fyodor. Moiiieiits before thai murder. slie would rccall her owii still uiiborii
cliild. stirring withiii Iier for tlic first time (Leskoi. 150). but like Lady Macbetli. she w-ouldprove
iiidiftereiit to its iiiiioceiice. for Iatcr. after giving birtli iii prisoii. slic u-ould utter a curse aiid
abandoii tlie babe "witho~~t ilie slightest inurinur of complaini" (1.eskov 157). i'lie parallels
between tlir fjte of Kateriiia's son and tlie iiiiagiiied slauplitrr of Lady Macbeth's childreii. or
betweeii tlie inurders of Fyodor aiid youiig Macduf'. iherehie create a desigii poiiitiiig to aii
iiiiportant siinilarity bctbeeii Kateriiia aiid Lady Macbeth: both are dariiig actors res+ to re.ject
weakiiess. a quality espccially associaied witli cliildreii. Macbrtli. oii tlie otlier liaiid. understood
that tlie inurdcr cif a lielpless cliild would

plead like aiigels. truiiipet tongu'd. agaiiist

Tlie deep daiiiiiaiioii of liis takiiig-o?
Aiid I'ity. like a naked new-borii babc.
Stridiiig tlie blasi. or heaveii's C'herubiiis. Iiors'd
Ilpoii tlie siglitless co~iriersol'tlie air.
 SlialI blou tlie liorrid deed iii c1ei.J eye.
1hat iears shall d r o ~ itlie
i uiiid4.
( 1.7.19-33)

'J'his. of course. is prccisel! u-liar happens. noi onl!. ii-i Shakespcare's stoq- biit in L c s k o ~ ' tlic~:
children. iii thcir piiifiil deaths. becoine pou-erfiil avcnpers giani ai-igcls dri\.ing an indolent or.
-

ii-i Macbeih's case. an iniimidated conin-iui-iit! io finall!. oppose ihe miirderers.

To tliis extent. siinilarities seem to run throii~liilie t n o siorics: bui ihcre are striking
diffcrei-ices as well. For instante. tliough both women are dri\en to tl-ieir crimes by passio~i.their
passions are altogether iinlike. Lady Macbetli is mo\'cd by amhitioii ibr a roya1 place ii-i tlie
Ikiidal world ofuhich she and her husbai-id are a part. Katcrii-ia. o11thc otl-ier Iiand. is aroused by
lier devotion to Sergei Filipych. a man n110 promises to dcliler Iier oiit ot'"the ~iiirelic\,ed
n-ionoion!. of lile iii tlie ~iierchant'sbarred ai-id bolted t o w r of a Iiousc" ( 1 13). and inio anotl-ier
l\-orld associzited \vi111 lo\ze and freedom. Thoiigh thcse tuiiiiicd theii-ies of escape tioin dreai-y
saiiiciiess and flight to a dillkrent world ofroinai-itic natiire are glanced at ii-i Shakespeare. tl-ie!.
dominatc Lcsko\ 'S story fioin tlie niomei-it Sergei invades the locked merchant's hoiise ai-id.
agaii-isi liaterina's neak protests. picks hcr up "like a cl-iild 2nd carrics her off to a bedroom
( 130). li-i Iier siiirender ihere is n ineasure ot'comhrtable sell~ii-idiilgei-ice. biii out of thai sii-iiplc
espericnce tl-iere is born soi-i-ietliingof a ver? differei-itiiatiire: a passion tliat crases the codes ai-id
con\ entions of Iier tormer u-orld- ihe world of mcrchai-itproperiies und i-i-iunda~ie an-ibitioi-is.Yet
passion also erases Katerina's ability to disting~iishbetween good and cvil. or joy ai-id sorrou-.
This Iailiirc the i-iairator traces io tlie tieedoin Katerina once eii.joyed as the child of aii
impo\ erished tamily ( 1 13). a freedom that encoiiraged her loi-iging for ai-i event that woiild alter
tlie stor!. of her lifc. ai-id elevate it ii-iio soineihing better and more iiieaiiii-igtiil. Whei-i at last she
meets that possibilit! in tlic foi1i-i oV love. slie abai-idons herself to it. and u-illingI!- plaqs
\\hatever role Iier ne\v ai-id diffcrent drama seems to demand.
?'here is an illusiration of this behavioiir in the early stages of Katerina's affair u-ith
Sergei. Mer hiisband is auay attcnding to biisii-iess. but uhen Kateiina's father-ii-i-lah. Boris
l'iinotkich. disco\,ers the lo\.ers and locks Sergei iip in a sioreroom Katerina is enraged: "Let him
out ol'there." she deniai-ids. "1 slvear to yoii o11 m! coi-iscieiicc thai nothing bad has passcd
betu7eei-i lis" ( 177). 111 ieferrii-ig to her clear coi-iscience. Katerina ina!,. i i i her own nlii-id. be
tellinp tl-ie truil-i. siatii-igsimply tliat she waiits Sergei. is proudl! ~inashamedof her desire. and
is prcpared to play out its consecliiences. l'liis. at least. is licr attitiide as she prepares Sor thc
rcturii oflicr husband. Zino\.! Borisycli. Slie is determined not to be tlic witk she \\-as: shc will
be her altered selt: and detiai-itl!- re\-ea1the oiitline of a new and different life. At this point. u-e
should note. miirderiiig her Iiiisband is not a necessai? part of her fresli role. That is tlie in\:ei-ition
of Sergei. l\-lio suggesis that Zii-io\.!. Ieft alive. must inevitably desti.o!- tlie lo\-ers' world. "No.
no. d011.t sa) siich thiiigs." Katerin~iplcads: "1 tcll you it iusi lvon't Iiappen - 1 \\'on't be left
\vitlioui yoii .... If it e\er coines to that ... either he will dic. oi. I will: biii yoii are goilig to stay

(le 1
~'1111~1'~1~110\ \d.
7.2. 200 l . pp. 9.3- 105
;1010,y;11 1 1 1 ~ I ' ~ ~ l l .
 ~ i t ine"
h ( 13 1 ). This estravagant speecli is a \\-liole systeiii of unconscious propliecies. but wliat
Kateriiia waiits to empliasize is Iier coniiiiitmeiit to her lover and to love itself: notliiiig. slie
insists. inust stand iii its wa!.. Mistakenly. slie supposes that Sergei's iiiteiitions are like her o&-11.
aiid tliat his stoi?. resenibles tl-ie ne\\- one slie Iias choseii. I i i fact. Iie is creating aii altogether
diffcreiit drama - a drama uiih a trul!. Shakespearean tlienie because Sergei's eoiiduci is
gol erned b), the pursuit of u-ealth and a betiei statioii iii the world - the veiy thiiigs tliat Kaierina
is prepared io abandoii.
Events in Leskol 'S iiarraiive tliiis iiiiderline a contest betweeii [&-opiinciples ii-i \\I-iicl-i
tlie iiidepeiideiice of Kateriiia's imagiiied lo\-e stoiy struggles against tlie seductive intluei-ice 01'
Sergei's n-iundaiie ainbitioiis. This becoines particularly appareiii in ilie descriptioi-i ol'the third
n-iurder.Follo\\irip %iiiol!, Rorisych's murder. young Fyodor a r r i ~ e sto claiiii a share of tlie
esiaie.Seipei. leariiiiig this. becoi-i-ies depressed. aiid Katerii-ia conlksses iliat she caiiiiot
~inderstandhis behal~iour."All our plans l-iave coine to i-iothing." Sergei explains. "But why do
!oii say t'hat'?" shc asks. still supposing that their crines have beei-i l'or love. --Because." he
replies. "ihe \\hole place will he divided up now. And \\I-iat'll be thc poii-it of owi-iii-igapalti3- bit
of'it?" Still not coi-i-iprehendii-ig.she protests. "surel! ~ o u ' l lget your fair share?" ( 136). Sergei.
ol'course. does not f i a i i t a share: he ~tai-itseverytl-iing. ai-id so he '.went o11 arid 011"ahout F ~ o d o r .
proinising thai if the child wcre got rid oii. '-ihere \voiild be no limits to tl-ieir happii-iess" ( 1 36).
Inevitablj. the child is niurdered. tl-iough - as i i i A l l r ~ , h ~- > /the
h h o i ~ i ddeed is hloui-i "in ever!
e)e" (1.7.34: el.. I.esbo\- 155). and tlie lovers are sooii arrestcd for their criiiie. Accused. Sergei
cluickl!. conlesses ai-id iinplicatcs Katerina. It is at this poiiit tliat tlie iiivestigators ask Katei-iria
whj- she coininitted the murders. "Without ai-iger." and ~ i t niore h tnith thaii she uiidcrstands. she
sa! s. '-1 did it ti)r l-iiin" ( I56j. This siinple statemciit uriderlii-ies wliat the \\liole story empl-iasizes:
that the ai-i-ibitionM l-iicli iiio\.ed Lady Macheth is part of Sergei's ~vorld.ai-id does i-iot belong to
Katerina.
The ii-iiportai-iceof this diffcrerice is ui-iderliiied in Leskov's treatment of consciei-ice. a
subject ceiitral to Shakespeare's pla!.. It is consciei-ice. of course. that deslroys Lady Macheth:
following the powerful part slie pla'ed ii-i the iiiitial murdcrs. she wai-iders sleeplessly tl-irougl-i
tlie i-iight. ai-ixiously tryiiig to \vas11 the giiilt ol' hloody ambitioii froiii tier Iiaiids. arid fii-ially
ending her iorineiit h!, hurlirig 1-ierseliifroi-i-ithe castlc walls. T1-irougl-iinost ol'l.esbov's narrative
there is no couiiterpart to this mental anguisl-i in Katerina. It is tixie that after tlie first iiiurder she
Iias a disturhiiig dreai-ii about a cat that takes on tlie h c e and voice ol'her dead iiather-in-law -

a nighti-i-iare tTom whicli sl-ie awakes screaiiiing: and there is another and earlier dreain. also
ahout a cat wl-iich. in tliis iiistance. is associated wilh Serpci. But the earlier dreai-ii. Lesko\
emphasizes. inei.el1 piizzles Kateriiia: aiid c\.eii atier it has heeii liiikcd to tlic fearful in-iage of
her iuurdercd tatl-icr-in-la\\. her coiisciciicc is iii-itrouhled. Sergei's situatioii is altogether
different. apparei-itl~becausc. heinp guilty oiambitiori. I-ie canriot he consciei-ice-l'ree. Follo\\.iiig
ihe murder ofZino\,! Boris~ch.his lips trcmhlc "and the resi ol'l-iim mas shaking as ifuitli LI
lkler" (142). Then. follol+ii-igtl-ie inurder of Fyodor. he sl-iivers and rui-is away ii-i lkar ( 152).
Fiiiall!. atier tlie two llave been ai-rested. "\vhci-i Sergei was led befc~retlie corpse. tlie ver!; tirst
\vrds o'tlie priest about tlie l.ast Judgeiiieiit and tlie piiiiisl-iineiitof the iiiircpentant wcre eiioiigli
to make him biirst iiito iears" ( 1 56). lt is tlierefore Scrgei. not Kateriria. \\-lio deii-icliistratestlie
torniented weakness that is a central to Shakespeare's pieseiitation oi'Lad) Machetli.
-l'Iiis difkrencc is also retlected i i i Lesko\.'s treatment of a thenie related to conscience.
iiainel!~. tlie lau- OSconsequeiice. AII awareness 01' conscience and a knoa-ledge o i tlie la11 of
coi-isequence are elosel! linked in Shakespeare's pla>. hut tlie!, are iiot tlie saine. Unlike Lad).
Macbetli - and iiiilike Kateriiia - Machetli has '.,judgenieiit": tliat is. he knows tl-ie 5toi.y he
initiaies niay he iiilliienced aiid tinally controlled b!, forces other tliaii liis own. '.It'it were done.
\vlieii 'iis done." he agoiiizes.

ihen 'tuer well

Ii uere done qiiickly: if'th' assassiilation
C'ould tianiniel ~ i the
p ciisequences. and catcli
Witli his simease succcss: tliat hut this blou-
Miglit he tlie he-al1 aiid tlie end-al1 Iiere.
But liere. iipoii this haiik and slioal of tiiiie.
We'd jiimp tlie life to coiile. But in tliese cases.
W'e still lia\:e ,jiidgeinent herc: that we hut teacli
Bloody instructioiis. wliicli. beiiig taiight. rcturn
To plague th' inventor.
(1.7.1-10)

111 this passage. Macbetli identities tlie law of consequence that uill "rctiii.n/ To plague th'
inventor": it is that "hlood will lia\?e blood" (3.4.17 1 ). As cveiits graduall!. inake this clear. he
bccoines increasingl>-aiid tlierefore recklessly - fatalistic. "1 ani in bloodl Stcpp'd in so far."
Iie says. --tliat. sliould 1 u~adeno inore.1 Retuming \vere as tedioiis as go o'er" (3.4.1 35-1 37). Tlie
inan \vho i.eqiiircd his wife's support in l-iis tirst iiiurder. ulien he \vas "still yoiing in dccd"
(3.4.1 43). tlierefore plans a secolid criine alone. aiid tlieii. like oi-ie u110 has "almost forpot tlie
taste of fcars" (5.5.9). gives hiiiiself ovei to casual sla~ighter.Hut whai of Lady Machetli?
Because she \\-as hliiid to tlie intluence oi'otlier pon-e1.s aiid to the ine\.itability ot'consecl~ience.
she u a s iiiitially stroiig: biit when tbrced to witness the uiifolding of eveiits. slie decliiies iiito
fear. Fier niad rainbliiigs disclose oiily a little of lier torment (5. l.!. hut Macbctli's meditations
illiirninate tlie character of a iilind like liers. ohliged to cont'ront tlie conscquences of its criiiiiiial
acts. Bitterly. Iie recognizes that he is capti\:e to somethirig he did iiot iiitend: "Tliey havc tied
ine to a stake: 1 caiiiiot Hy.1 Biit. bear-like. I iiiust tiglii tlie coiirse" (5.7.1-3). Later. ii is tliis
kiio\+-ledgethat Icads hirn io retlect nostalpically upon the lit'e liis aci has lost. the sior!. he has
abandoned:

( iiu~l~~i.17<1\
<le I . i k ) l o ~ ili~gle\cr.
r~ '01. 7.2. 100 1. pp. 93- 105
I.i~ih.\lu~~hc.ih
o' lIirei7rh L I I ~ LI I)
\LIIII'~IIL>M I / / L ~ I . ~ Ii17
~ c \~i e o l ~ ~I.e~hoi.
i 101

1 Iia\.e li\.'d Ioiig ciiugIi: iiiy %a!. of life

1s fall'ii iiito tlie scrc. the yellom leat-
Aiid u-liat sliould accoiilpail!- old age.
As Iioilour. love. obedieiice. troops of frielids.
1 i~iustiiot look to I ~ a \ ~ e .
(5.3.77-76)

Fiiially. percei\-iilg iii liis wife's suicide aii iiiiage vt' his ouii eiid. he gives \\-ay to aiiger aiid
rescntiiiciit:

Slie slio~iidllave died liereafter.

Tliere \\o~ildhave been a tiiiic for sucli a word -
1 uiiioi~ow.and tomorrciw. arid toriiorro\\-.
C'reeps iii tliis petty pace kom day to da!.
T'o tlie last syllable ofrecorded time:
Aiid al1 our yesterdays llave liglited fbols
Tlie ua!. to dusty death. Out. out. biiel'candle!
I>ifc's but a walkiiig sliadow: a poor plo!.er.
'T'hat struts aiid frets his hour Lipon tlie stage.
Aiid tlieii is heard no more: i t is a tale
l o l d b! an idiot. f~illof so~iiidaild fiii?.
Sigiiif).iiig notliing.
(5.3.15-78)

Sliakespeare'h drama is doininaied by tliis rich raiige of eiilotions: tbrebdinp prior to tlie
iliurder. recklrss coiiiinitiiieilt to thr criiiie. fearfiil recogiiitioii of uniiitendcd conscqueiices.
nostalgic regret fbr tlie road iiot takeii. and the filial seilse ofsuicidal tiir';. Tlie same feeliiigh are
present iii "Lad!- Macbetli of'Mtsensk". thouglit tliey are introduced iii a ver!. diffcrent fasliioii.
C'oiisider. for iilstaiice. 1,eskov's preseiitation of the lo\~ers'meeting j~isiafter Kateriiia'h first
dreaiii. aiid before Iicr husband's retlini. 'Tlie setting is aii orcliard. aiid L.esko\ 's descriptioii of
tlie place is charged witli tlie geiitle imagen of aii idyll in \\-liicli everytliiiig seeins suspended
iil a iiiood ofquiet repose. \vatclied over b!. the nioon's obseil-iiig eye:

"Lool\ Serpei - isii'l tliis siiiir>l!- Iieaveiily?" Kateriiia 1.~01-iiaesclaimed. Iookiiig

~ i tlirough
p tlie apple tree's tliickly blossoiiled braiiclies wliicli covered Iier. ai tlie
cloudless dark-blue sky- iil wliich a briglit. fiill mooii was sliiniiig. (Lrsko1 178)

Ol'co~irsetlie sk>-does not iiiterest Sergei. aild tlie narratvr reiiiinds us tliat "he sat ... stariiig Iiard
at liis boots". Iiiiiting tliat Katerina niust i~i~irder lier Iiusband. Uliat follows is a dist~irbiiig
escliaiige in wliicli Kateriiia. \\-itlioiii reflcciiiig aiid witlioiii cl~ii~e kiiowiiig uliat is liappeiiiiip.
surreiiders to Iiei. lover's iiitlueiice. .4fter that "tlieii kissiiig aiid caressing rcsuiiied". thoiigli
uiiderneatli tlie coiitiiiuit> everytliiiig is differeiit. 'l'hr idyll has passcd. tlie cat of Kateriiia's
dream intrudes oiice again. and tlie o b s e i ~ i n piiiooii lo\?;eis its e!-c. Kateriiia still "splashed iii
tiie mooiilight". tlioiigh as she did so

the fiesh. whiic blossoins kept hlling. falliiig from tlic lea.- apple tree. and tlieii
at last stoppcd t'alling. Aiid ineaiiuhile the briet'siimincr iiight Iiad passed. tlie
inooii coiicealcd itsel fheliiiid tlie rouiided roofs ol'tlie tal1 granarics aiid gave the
eai-th a sidelong looh. gra.iiig paler aiid palcr: then spi ttiiip u a s heard. tbllo\vcd
by aiigi?; hissing. aiid t u o or three toin-cats tkll iioisil!. scrabbliiig ot'f' ihe roof
dowii a pile ofplaiiks. ( 1 3 2 )

Tlie ricli iiilagci? of this passage - charcteristic 01' I.esko\~'sart Iias inaiiy couiiterpaits in
--

Shakespere's work. but because i\fuche/h is a draina. the ricliiiess arises out of thc cliaracters'
own laiigiiagc: it is their ineditations that rctlrct tlie troublcd complesit!- ol'thc uorld iii M-liich
tliey are casi. Lesko~,.o11 the otlier hand. oiily sketclles Sergei's miiid aiid lea\ es Kriteriiia's quite
uiitouched. as tliougli it were altogethcr tiee ot'coinplesity. It is thereti,ie Icli to tlie iiarraior to
meditate upoii the action. and this he does b!. surroiiridiiig the lo\-ers\\ itli ini~igcsaiid s!.mbls
ihat ansiouslq-anticipate tlie direction of theii. lives.
There is. lio\\ever. oiic part of tlie story in \vhicli this is iioi triic. oiic 1,ai.t in which
Leskor inoves towaid a Shakespeareaii repieseiitatioii 'of char~icici.\\ \ itli coiiiplc\ i~ie~itl
jvocesses. Follo\vi~igtheir airest. Katerina aiid Sergei are triccl. c i i i ~ l~ i i iiiio
i pciicil se17 itude.
i1' Kateriiia liad. in aiiy u-a?;. beeii attached to the in~indane\.al~ic> ol'ili~,iiici.cli:iiii \\orld. or if
her roiiiaiitic decisiori to abandoii tliem liad been sliglit or fiicil'~il.Iici- ~~.iiic.iicc.
iiiiglit lia\,e Ied
toward some ariagnorasis: hiit that is iiot \kliat Iiappeiis. 111 Iact Iicr ~~~iiii~liiiiciii
oiil! clrities the
priiiciples upon mliicli slie Iiad acted earlier in the narrati\ c:

As she sets oiit o11 tlie dark aiid diflicult passagc i i i Silici.i'i. ilicrc \\as tbr her
neither light nor dark. noi good iior bad. nor io! iior \oi-i.o\\: >lic percei\.ed
nothing. and loved no oiic. iiot eveii Iiersell: Slic l i \ c ~ loiil! iii ilic impatieiit
rrl7ectaiicy f the ilioineiit uheii tlie group nould 5c.i oiii oii ihc. ro~id.\\ here slie
hoped she iniglit meet her Sergei apaiii. ( 1 58)

170r Sergei. o11 the otlier Iiand. the diftkreiit rrorld to whicli he hiis bccii sciitc.iiccd chaiiges
eiei~.tliing.aiid he ad,justs briskly aiid brutall). Hecause Katerin c:in iio 1c)iigcr promise lhiiii a
better station iii life. he is iiiiwilliiig t play Iiis old part in lier stor! ol'lo\.e: ").o~i'i.ciiot tlie witk
ofaii iniportaiit inerclianl aiiy more. so do me a ta\.ur and doii'i go giviiip yourscll'iirs" (163).
Kateriiia's disco\.er)- of the real character of Sergei's stur! uiifolds thruugli lier paiiif~il
rclationsl-iip witl-i t\\o \\oinen. boil-i atiacl-ied to Sergei's new litk. Thc tirsi is Fiona. nl-iose
"gei-itle. laz! disposition" persuades her to surrci-iders io Sergei out f a comfortable desire for
lo\.e ( 160): tl-ie second. n h o cl~iicklydisplaces Fiona. is Sonetka. \+I-i.ii-i spite of her se\ ei-iteei-i
!ears. is a con-iplcs indi\.idual cruelly proud of a ne\\ and passioi-iate attacl-iinent that wiII ii-i+.ol\,e
"s~ift'eriilgand sacriticc" ( 160). I'ogetl-ier.tl-iese t \ \ noinen reflect tl-ie range ofKateri1-ia - s ow11
charactcr. ai-id u1-iei-i tl-iey assuii-ie their place 1vit1-i Scrgei. sl-ie comes. for tlic tirst time. to
recognize the outline of I-ier own lifc. and tlie dark ii-itluence Sergei has esercised upon it.
LV11ei-i Fioi-ia takes I-ier place in Scrgei's bed. Katerii-ia. decpl! stung. iells I-ierselt': "'1
don't reall~.love hiin ai-i~waq'...l.et sl-ie tklt tliat slie loved I-iii-iieven more ardentlq- than berore"
( 167). Later. Fioiia is. i1-i turn. r~jecied.aiid she and Katerii-ia are recoiiciled. But wl-ien Katerii-ia
trics to recover Sergei's affcctions. l-ie I-ieapsabuse o11 Iicr. and ineets o ~ i fifty t lashcs as sl-ie lays
I-ielpless in l-icr bed ( 167). Thoug1-i a i-i-iere parod' of' Iier criinii-ial seritence. Sergei's cruelt!- is
Katerina's first real p~inisl-ii-i-iei-ii.ai-id the iiiitial stage of her grouth to ~inderstanding.When it
is ovcr. sl-ie collapses o11 Fiona's breast uhere slie "sobbed O L I ~I-ier iritolerable grief and. like a
child t o a inotlier. pressed herselfclosc to I-ier slou and t'eckless rival. Now they nere eclual: tl-ie~
liad both bee1-i cl-ieapened. and botli liad been discardcd" ( 1 67).
It is Sonetka u h o c o m p o ~ ~ n Katerii-ia's
ds sutlkririg bq proudll- allyirig herself witli Sergei
wl-iile I-ie n-iocks the roinantic delusions of "madain inerchant". as Ile insists o11 callii-ig I-ier. -1'he
otliers prisoners. heariiip Sergei's taunts. are sliocked:

"You ouglit to be asl-iained ot'!~o~irsell'."said Fioi-ia sl-iakii-igl-ier head. "It docs y o ~ i

no credit." said a coi-ivict named Ciordyuslika. iii support ...." Eveii if you've no
coriscience in froi-it of Iier. you ought to have soine ii-i front uf tlie rest of LIS."
(170)

Wliat lher fellou prisoners do not recognize is that in al1 this Laterina is tlie victim of sometl-ii~~g
sl-ie herself had been - a canscience-free lover. indifferent to rnoral coi-iventioris.
Tlie Ii~in-iiliatii-ig
reversal inl-ier position is as cr~icland cold as tl-ie crossii-ig of tl-ie Vvlga
wl-iich ser+es as its background. The esperience forces Kateriiia to look inu-ard. at the n-ieaning
of her st01-y: gazing at the river's wa\es. shc silei-itlq moved her lips. apparentl! reliearsing
something to herself. Then. wl-iile Sergei contin~iedhis "foul-niouthed tirade".

she see~iiedto hear a groanii-ig. rumblii-ig sound that carne froi-i-itl-ie heavirig.
crasliiiig breakers. Arid ... suddenly. in one of the breaking uaI1es sl-ie fancied she
san the blue. swollen head f. Anris Ti~iiofeich.and in another tlie slva! ii-ig form
of Iier husband. peepii-ig out at her and eiiibracii-ig Fedya's hanging I-iead.Katerina
L\,ovna tried to reineinbcr a pra!.er. and slie m\ied her lips. but al1 Iier lips could
uhispcr n e r r the words: " h o ~n e ~isedto ~'i-i.j~ ourselves. liow v e ~isedio sit
iogetlier o11 tl-iose lung auiun1i-i iiights. h o ~ vwe dispaiched yo~irkinfolk to a cruel

( Ii7,vlc.r~i.vol. 7.2. 200 1 . pp. 93- 1 05

' r i i ~ ~ l ~ . r i i o1r ~lolr>giil
 104 11 ~ ~ / ~ I / ~\ ~/ I 1/ OL I / I U ~

deatli in broad da! light ...." ( 1 71 )

.l'he imagiiied \voids are Sergei's. anci the! mock iiot onl! those wlio ha\-e been murdered. but
wliai ii \vas tliat Ied Kateriiia to becoiiie their iii~irdcrer.lt was Iier lovc for "a \.illaiii" ( 1 67). '-a
\-le snake"( 169). a maii iiioti\,ted b!. tlic iiiost ordiiinnr kiiid of limbitioii - a m~iiidaiiccriniiiial.
Hecausc slie liad purs~iedlo\ e aiid passioii ~vitlioutrcflccting o11 the destnicti\-e nture 01'
Sergei's iiifluence. Kateriiia. like Fiona. liad bcconie a pitif~il\.ictiin: but for p ~ ~ r s ~ ~that iiig
passioii - br pl;iying Fioii's role. aiid for perfiirmiiig tlie proud part no\v cted h!. Soiietkki -
Kateriii reser\-ed a spccial loathiiig:

Katei-iiia 12voviislii\ered. Hcr inieriiiittent gaze focused itsclf. and beciiic u-ild.
Oiice. twice Iier rnis stietclied o ~ itowards
t sonie ~iiikiio\v~ipoiiit iii space nd le11
back :igain. Aiiotliei iuin~itepassed aiid suddeiily slie begaii to rock aiid s\\~i!,
-

and. \~itliouttaking Iier e!.cs off'the dark wa\-es. she beiit down. seized hold of
Soiietka b!- the lcgs and iii onc siiigle ino\-ernent li~irledlierself witli Iier over the
sidc of tlie Ikrn-.( 17 1 )

Iii Katerinci L\~oviia'scoiiscience-strickeii iiieditatioii o11her actions. she and Lady Macbctli
coiiie to reseniblc oiie another elosel!.. h i t in their s~iicidestlie!. seem. at last. to be tlie sanic.
Though tlic colirse of Katerina's life and deatli discovers tisciiiatiiig parallels uith the
historj- 01' Sliakespeare's iiotorious heroiiie. it is clear that Leskm. also so~ightto del-elop
diffc.rcnccs between the tnci characters. In fact. i t M.-astlirough tlie iiiixturc ol'tlieir samenesses
and diflkreiices thai he reflectcd soiiietliiiig cliaracteristic of niiieteeiith centuil- Kussiii
rcspoiises to Shakespearc. iiaiiiel!~. a will to debate tlic nature und nieaning ol' tlic Englisli
drainatist's jvork: b ~ i bcyond
t that general characteristic. tlie specific directioii ol'l.esko\ 'S story
seeiiis t all!- liini with oiie Russiaii response iii particular: tht ofLeo 7'olsto';. Much later iii Iiis
carcer. L.esko\. n-rote to Tolsto! aiid reiiiaiked o11 tlie striking siiiiilarity hetu-ceil their ideas
about literat~irc.etliics. aiid Russian socicty (Lantz. 3 5 ) . Principal aiiioiig tliose ideas. Leskol-
\voiild have kiiowii. n-as 'rolstoy's regard for love as -the supreine lau" aiid tlie "one rneaiis o'
sal\atioii" because i t fosiered Iieroic courage of tlie kind discoverable in Kateriiia's tirst.
passionaic respolise to Sergei: coLirage to iiitroduce the sort of "spontaneity and fieedoiii"
(Tolsto!. Ltrii cfLoi'c 75-76: Sl7~1ke.spe~(1.e 88) tliat miglit fiiially libeiatc a -'barred and boltcd"
society (Leskm 1 17).l.esko\.. 01'co~irse.careiiill!. elaborrited tlie flaws that u-arp tliis tlioroughly
Kussiaii stoi?. of lo\-e. and tliese flau-s he traced to Sergei: and tlie crimiiial iiat~ireof Sergei's
influence is dircctly related to Iiis inundaiie anibition~.I.eskov tlierefore seeiiied to coiistruct Iiis
stoi? around t u o features o- Tolstoy's response to Shakespeare: tlic u-orldll; aiiibitioiis tliat
~iiiderlieScrgei's inuiid;i~iecriiniiinlity all!. him witli thc Macbetli that Tolsto! liad criticiscd: and
Kteriiia. fitted to tlic fjte of Lad!. Mcbetli. concedes tlie -'epideiiiic" influeiicc o'
Shakespeareaii ideas tliat Tolsto\. apprelieiisivel!- resisted.

I ~ o1!i l o l o g i c ~l ~ ? g / c ~vol.
( ' I I ~ I ~ / L ' ~ .[/L. o. 7 . 2 . 200 1. pp. 9 3 - 105
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